Valentine's Day

Chocolate Hedgehogs from Purdy's

     I took today off work, not because it's Valentine's Day, but because Monday is a holiday and I wanted an extra-long weekend.  I haven't been sleeping particularly well this week so it was a bonus to have a bit of a sleep-in.  CC bought some chocolates from Purdy's, in Oakville, earlier this week just for today.

Dried Cotton

     Instead of buying roses, I bought some dried stems of cotton for us to enjoy.  I like how unusual they are and the fact that they will last a lot longer than roses.  They were wrapped in red paper, so they definitely looked Valentines-ey!

Grilled Calamari

     CC and I aren't big celebrators of Valentine's Day, but seeing as I was home from work, we decided to go out for a nice lunch at Bin 23.  It wasn't terribly busy, so it made it more intimate and we didn't have to yell over the din of the other diners.  We each had a glass of white wine and shared an appetizer of grilled calamari which was served with a grilled lemon slice, arugula and olives.  Delicious!  We then followed up with the Rainbow Trout entree, served with perfectly grilled vegetables and sweet potato frites.  There was no room for dessert, but we knew there were chocolate hedgehogs waiting at home for us.  All in all, a relaxing and romantic day off.

Rainbow Trout

Instagram

     Recently, I joined Instagram as yet another outlet for my photography.  My cousin G., in England, is on it a lot and she posts pictures of the brownies she makes and sells, so it's another way for us to keep in touch.  My user name is jdpb82, so feel free to follow me there.

     Late last year, the Research Institute at the hospital I work at moved into a brand new building, the PGRLC.  My lab is located on the 19th floor, so there are many wonderful views to take in, especially from the lounge that looks out onto Bay Street.

Snow Squall

Views from Work

     I live in G-Town and commute, via "Skinny-Dog", to Hogtown.  I take the 5:30 a.m. in, and am usually up on the 19th floor of work by 7.  During this time of year, I beat the sunrise (and everyone else on the floor it seems).  So, while I'm sipping my morning tea or coffee, I take the opportunity to watch the sun come up over the lake and city.

     It's amazing how quickly the colours change and give off some much-needed warmth in this particularly-cold winter.

     By the afternoon, the sun is well over to the west, and makes the distant urbanity seem minuscule and ghost-like.

     It's also quite amazing to watch fronts of weather move in and across the skyline, dwarfing the tall buildings below.

Brrr!

   

     Stupid me forgot to set my alarm for this morning, so when I finally woke up at 7:30 a.m. (I'm usually up at 4:45 a.m.!), I wondered why it was starting to get light out.  I wouldn't have made the 7:50 bus and the next one wasn't until 9:40, so I decided to take a personal day.

     It's probably just as well because the day's high is supposed to be -21 C!  At least it's sunny and there's blue sky, but I'll be enjoying that from the comfort of the inside, furnace-warmed environment thank-you-very-much.

     As you can see from the height of the snow on the garden urn, we have had a lot of accumulation over the past few days.  It will be great for insulating the ground and for the ground water in the spring, but it's only the beginning of January for crying out loud.

Guelph Blizzard

     To look out your window on a night like tonight, (hopefully) cozy and warm, there's a sleepy look to it all.  Very few people would be out in such blowing snow that hits your face like sand (dog walkers are probably cursing little Muffy the Shih-tzu right now).  So, of course I had to take a few quick snaps to catch it all for posterity.  I had on my PJs and slippers and housecoat, so I'm glad I didn't encounter any die-hard doggy-walker. "They're crazy you know," just said CC, "but the dogs love it."

     Looking further up the street, I was taken by the fact that the snow has taken on a very warm, yellow hue.  That combined with the fluffy, pillow-like qualities of the snow make me feel quite somnolescent, especially after a three hour bus ride home (shoot me). A three hour tour, a three hour tour…

     Of course, looks are deceiving.  I imagine my good friend, B Lovely, saying, "it's about 9 million degrees below zero out there." With the wind chill (40 clicks an hour they say), she's probably not far off.  I used the flash for a couple of JDPegs just so you could see the snowflakes.  They're kind of cool in a chilly, abstract way.

     Tomorrow may or may not be a snow day.  I'll keep you posted if it is.  If it isn't, it's my long (10 hour) day at work (shoot me).

Welcome 2014.

     HAPPY NEW YEAR!  HERE'S HOPING 2014 IS A BETTER YEAR.

Ice Pics

     Another sunny day!  It was also a bit milder, so lots of the ice was starting to thaw and drop on the ground.  You could here the tree branches creaking as the wind blew through them, and the tinkle of ice as it slipped off them.  It's supposed to be a milder weekend, so I imagine most of the ice will be on the ground by the weekend's end.  Be careful out there!